Migrate or power off the virtual machines running on the host and put the host into maintenance mode. The host can be put into maintenance mode by running this command:

# vim-cmd hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter

Navigate to the directory on the datastore where the patch file was uploaded to and verify that the file exists by running these commands:

# cd /vmfs/volumes/Datastore/DirectoryName# ls

Where Datastore is the datastore name where the patch file was uploaded to, and DirectoryName is the directory you created on the datastore.

Install or update a patch on the host using these esxcli commands:

Notes:

To install or update a .zip file, use the -d option. To install or update a .vib file use the -v option.

Using the update command is the recommended method for patch application. Using this command applies all of the newer contents in a patch, including all security fixes. Contents of the patch that are a lower revision than the existing packages on the system are not applied.

Using the install command overwrites the existing packages in the system with contents of the patch you are installing, including installing new packages and removing old packages. The install command may downgrade packages on the system and should be used with caution. If required, the install command can be used to downgrade a system (only for image profiles) when the --allow-downgrade flag is set.

Caution: The install method has the possibility of overwriting existing drivers. If you are using third-party ESXi images, VMware recommends using the update method to prevent an unbootable state.